Greetings New Mexico craft beer lovers, this is E-Rock, back to bring you this installment of The Week Ahead in Beer. This column is hand-crafted to keep you up to date on all of the seasonal beers, news, and events served up at breweries and taprooms in New Mexico.

E-Rock, left, has uncovered all the beers worth sneaking up on this week.

This weekend the Outside Magazine Bike & Brew Fest takes place in Santa Fe. Breweries throughout Santa Fe will be holding special events happening Friday through Sunday. Blue Corn Brewery’s VIP ticket offers access to top beer events at Santa Fe’s largest beer festival Wednesday to Saturday. In addition to a special VIP party on Wednesday night, and several events throughout the weekend, your VIP ticket also snags you a souvenir growler, and Blue Corn Brewery Roadrunner IPA T-shirt. Tickets cost $95 ($145 value) and can be purchased online here. The VIP party is Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Draft Station. There will be an exclusive beer tapping, pizza from Rooftop Pizzeria, and you can get a $5 coupon for a pint for use the following night. On Thursday, the NM Brewers Guild is hosting a tap handle takeover at the Draft Station, beginning at 11 a.m. and lasting through the weekend. On Friday, Blue Corn will host a Bike & Brew Patio Party at 4 p.m. at their downtown cafe. There will be a special beer on tap and you can have a chance to meet brewer James Warren. On Saturday, the Velo y Vino Ride will begin at 10 a.m. The ride will tour through Tesuque, Chupadero, and Rio en Medio, with stops at the Four Seasons Encantado Resort and ending at La Casa Sena. You can register at the VIP party or the morning of the event at La Casa Sena. Also on Saturday at 6 p.m. is the Blue Corn Brewery Beer Dinner, a five-course event that is a collaborative effort between Blue Corn Chef David Sundberg, brewer James Warren, Chef Jeffery Caplan, and John Rowley, the head of the Home Brewers Association.

Second Street Brewery will be celebrating the Outside Magazine Bike and Brew Fest on Friday with a concert at the Railyard Plaza by The League and Beer Fest in the Farmer’s Market Pavilion. Tickets are just $12 and only 800 of 2,000 had been sold as of Wednesday afternoon. The Beer Fest will feature beers from a number of Colorado breweries, including Boulder’s Avery Brewing, which is not usually available in New Mexico. There will also be beer from Eddyline, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, and Oregon’s Deschutes, plus some local breweries like Second Street, Santa Fe, La Cumbre, and Marble. The Second Street Railyard location will not be hosting music this weekend because of the festival, but the original location of SSB will have Swing Soliel on Friday and Joe West on Saturday. SSB will also be hosting their beer dinner on Saturday.

Santa Fe Brewing Company will host a horseshoe tournament at their taphouse in Eldorado on Saturday, as well as a book signing by Patrick Dawson, author of “Vintage Beer,” on Friday evening at their Tasting Room. For the book signing, SFBC will be tapping a special dry-hopped, barrel-aged version of their Chicken Killer Barley Wine.

Right now in the Duke City, Bosque Brewing Company is now serving their Belgian Specialty Ale, Polly’s S.M.A.S.H. and near the end of the week they will be introducing their Scottish Export and Peach Pale Ale. La Cumbre has fresh batches of A Gringo from Bombay (white IPA) and Miles from Cologne (Kolsch) now on tap. Turtle Mountain is now serving Piedra Lisa Porter (5.7% ABV, 40 IBU).

Beers: Petrus Aged Ale, Petrus Aged Red. Petrus Aged Ale and Red are high alcohol barrel-aged sours from a family owned brewery in Flanders. Several times a year ABP serves up the latest creation by local brewing hero and winner of the Samuel Adams Longshot competition, Ben Miller, or seasonal releases by Monks Brewing.

Beers: Berliner Weisse, IPA, Pale Ale, Red Ale, Belgian White. Back Alley Draft House has their full complement of house beers back on tap. Franz Solo and I both recommend the Berliner Weisse. In addition to their own brews, BADH is also serving Stone’s IRS on tap as well as Deschutes Hop Henge Imperial IPA and the Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine. There is still some of Stone’s Enjoy by 4.20 on tap.

Beers: Rampant Lamb Maibock, Acme Anvil Double IPA, ½ Wit Belgian Style Witbier, The Malty-Ness Monster a Wee Heavy, Locomotion California Commons. Stoutmeister stopped by Blue Corn recently to interview new brewer James Warren. While he was there, Stoutmeister of course sampled both of the new beers on tap. The Locomotion is brewed in the style of the popular steam beers of Northern California. It is a smooth, sessionable beer that goes well with the warming weather.

News: Blue Corn will be putting an apricot and peach saison that has yet to be named on tap next week.

Beers: Amber’s Folly Amber Ale, Lava Rock Pale Ale, La Llorona Scottish Ale, Tarantula Trek Red Ale, Prieta Real Imperial Stout. The lineup is unchanged from last week, but when it’s a lineup as good as this one, no one wants it to change. The Scottish is a longtime Brew Crew favorite. Blue Heron also has many of its beers for sale in bombers.

Beers: Scottish Export, Peach Pale Ale, Beligian Specialty Ale, Polly’s S.M.A.S.H. Polly’s was made with Marris Otter and HBC 342 hops. $1 of each sale for Polly’s S.M.A.S.H. goes to help fund Polly’s Run, a fundraiser to support pancreatic cancer research. BBC’s Scottish and Peach Pale Ale will be coming out the end of this week (or beginning of next).

News: Bosque’s new brewhouse is brewing its first batch this week. They are excited about it and anticipate smooth sailing. Stoutmeister will stop by to take some pictures and chat with the guys about how things are going.

Bosque has a happy hour running from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for a revamped menu and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Beers: Sol Rosenberg Ale, Renamed Roasted Rye Brown, Knight Rider Black Wheat, Sickle and Hammer Imperial Red (8.0% ABV), Rosemary’s Baby (4.3% ABV, a rosemary porter), Java the Hutt (coffee ale), Broken Berry Brown (chocolate strawberry ale). Franz Solo plans to head over to Broken Bottle soon to try all of these new beers. As he is the only Crew member who lives on the West Side, he figures he should be the one to keep tabs on the breweries on that side of the river.

Events: B3 has $3 beers every Tuesday from open to close. On Wednesday, B3 will be hosting their open mic from 8-10 p.m., with signups starting at 7:30 p.m. Check out B3’s karaoke night every Thursday starting at 8 p.m.

Beers: Idle Time IPA, Serenity Milk Stout (5.5% ABV, 20 IBU), Marzen (4.9% ABV, 25 IBU), Woodward SMASH Pale Ale. Idle Time IPA is a session IPA (5.0% ABV, 65 IBU). The Woodward SMASH is brewed with Amarillo hops and is the last creation at Chama River by former assistant brewer Tim Woodward, who is now running the show at Turtle Mountain.

News: If there is anything you want to know about new head brewer Zach Guilmette, Stoutmeister interviewed him recently.

Beers: Touch-Me-Not IPA, Deadman Pale Ale, Homestead Amber Ale. According to Comanche Creek’s website: “Touch-Me-Not IPA is a tantalizing American style IPA flavored with Chinook, Centennial and Cascade hops. This bold IPA is named for the majestic mountain that overlooks our brewery!” Homestead Amber Ale was on hand when Stoutmeister and I visited Comanche Creek in 2012. The Homestead is often bottled and served at establishments in the Eagle Nest/Angel Fire area.

News: Duel Brewing has just started bottling Tableaux and Fiction (Belgian Style IPA) in 22-ounce bottles.

Events: The life drawing session is $25 and is held each Sunday morning from 11-1 (although they are not open to the drinking public till 1 p.m. on Sun). You get the beverage of your choice, a Brussels-style waffle made with their own yeast and beer and then served with a Grunewald Syrup. Everyone then draws from a nude model. People can sign up through the website or call the brewery to reserve a spot.

Beers: Rio Red Ale, Naked Apricot Ale, Green Chile IPA, Chemist Ale, Seco Stout, Blonde Betty. The Green Chile IPA is popular with the tourist crowd. The Chemist Ale is one of the few gluten-free beers brewed in New Mexico.

News: Il Vicino Cask Fest will be held at the Canteen on Saturday, May 31 from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets for the fest are on sale and going fast! The Canteen did sell out at the last Cask Fest and had to turn people away at the door. Tickets are $20 (only $15 for Mug Club Members showing their card), includes their admission and sample board, and a full pour of their favorite in their own commemorative pint glass.

Beers: Amber, Cream Stout (nitro), Trident IPA, London Porter, Belgian Blonde, Honk Ale, Dark Abbey, Helles Lager. Located at 471 South Hill Road in Bernalillo, Kaktus is one of the state’s newest breweries. It is a small, casual place, similar to Blue Heron in appearance and comfort factor. Stoutmeister recommends the ESB and any and all of their lager-style beers. Kaktus owner Dana Koller said fans can expect the nanobrewery to go through its most popular styles quickly, though they will always have something new and exciting available as a replacement.

Events: Kaktus has several new weekday specials including $3 pints on Monday, $9 growlers on Tuesday, $6 bison nachos on Wednesday, and $8 Frito pie and beer on Thursday.

Editor’s note: E-Rock and his band, The Khans, will play Kaktus with the Desert Darlings belly dancers from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday night.

Beers: A Gringo from Bombay (white IPA), Miles from Cologne, Blanche De Burque (witbier), Project Dank, Kettle Bell, VMO #2 (Marzen). A Gringo from Bombay is now on tap and Miles from Cologne will be on tap in the next few days. Jaramillo Strong, a British Strong Ale, has been renamed Kettle Bell. VMO #2 is a German-style Marzen that’s great when you need a break from all the hoppy beers on tap.

News: Blanche De Burque is now on tap and will be released in bottle conditioned 750 ml bottles in the next couple weeks. Other La Cumbre beers for sale in bombers include La Negra Imperial Russian Stout and Project Dank.

We congratulate La Cumbre Brewing Co. for becoming this year’s National IPA Champion. Project Dank scored the win by edging out 127 other IPAs from around the country, including the likes of the venerable Fat Head’s IBUsive.

Beers: Dukes of Ale/Marble Collaboration Beer (7.1% ABV), Anniversary Triple, Anniversary Barley Wine, India Wheat, Double White, Imperial Red, Imperial Stout. On Monday, Marble tapped the Dukes of Ale/Marble Collaboration Beer, which is a Maibock. India Wheat has the citrusy, tropical hop character of an IPA with the refreshing quench of a wheat ale. The special releases of the Triple and Barley Wine occurred during Marble’s Sixth Anniversary Party last week. Both beers will be on tap and available in bombers for mug club members, new and old. Stoutmeister tried both beers. He highly recommends the Barley Wine, calling it “the barley wine of the elder gods.” He and Franz Solo might be hanging out too much.

News: In April, Marble was presented the gold medal at the World Beer Cup for their Pilsner!

Events: On Tuesday, Marble hosts an open mike night from 6-9 p.m. with Boris McCutcheon. Marble’s Downtown Pub will also host music performances by Marlee Crow on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m, Step In from 7-10 p.m. on Thursday, The Blue Hornets from 8-11 p.m. on Friday, and The Green Billies from 8-11 p.m. on Saturday.

Beers: Imperial Stout, RyePA, IPA, X Hop Pale, Brown. I am told that the Imperial Stout is well worth the trip to Las Vegas. Business has been nuts over at NMCBC, so beers are changing out rapidly on tap.

News: NMCBC’s new pub, The Old Town Draft House in Las Vegas, is open for business. They have 10 NMCBC taps and some cider. At least for a while, their hours are high noon until close, seven days a week.

Beers: Altbier, Air Beer (Irish Red), Simcoe Session IPA (4.8% ABV), Barley Wine, Chocolate Porter, Imperial Cream. Altbier is the first new recipe brewed for Nexus by head brewer Kaylynn McKnight. A dollar from every glass of Air Beer Irish Red is going to the local lung association. Imperial Cream is high in alcohol content and flavor. It is one of my favorite beers and pairs well with chicken and cornbread waffles when you are up for a decadent brunch.

Cask: Nexus will be featuring the Air Beer on cask this week.

Events: Nexus serves up Happy Hour All Day on Tuesday featuring $3 pints. Also on Tuesday, Nexus will be hosting their comedy open mic, Young Dumb and Full of Comedy, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Sun Room.

Beers: Red, Rattlesnake IPA, Rio Negro Milk Stout (7.6% ABV), Barb’s Barrel Hefeweisen (5.5% ABV), Gold Rush Pilsen (6.8% ABV). The current batch of Rio Negro Milk Stout offers up a unique hybrid of the creamy milk stout and more of an Irish dry stout. And a big welcome back to the Gold Rush, a medal winner at the New Mexico Cup last year.

News: Sandia Chile Grill will be helping Desert Water Winery and Brewery open soon just outside Artesia.

Beers: Carnie’s Pale Ale, Freestyle Pilsner, Irish Red. This week, Small Batch Saturday features Carnie’s Pale Ale. SFBC’S Irish Red Ale is officially on tap and on the shelf. The Saison ’88 was brewed in honor of SFBC’s 25th anniversary. It is also available for sale in cans just about everywhere you can find SFBC products.

Events: This weekend SFBC will be participating in Outside Magazine Bike & Brew Fest with a horseshoe tournament at their Taphouse in Eldorado on Saturday as well as a book signing by Patrick Dawson, author of “Vintage Beer” on Friday evening at their Tasting Room. For the book signing, SFBC will be tapping a special dry-hopped barrel-aged version of their Chicken Killer Barley Wine.

$1 Off Growler Refills in the Tasting Room on Mondays. $2 Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 Pint Special in the SFBC Tasting Room, and the Sangre de Cristo Craft Brewers’ Meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Tasting Room as well. On Thursday, there will be $1 Off Growler Refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Events: SSB will be celebrating the Outside Magazine Bike and Brew Fest on Friday with a concert Friday the Raillyard Plaza by The League and Beer fest in the Farmer’s Market Pavillion. The Railyard will not be hosting music this weekend because of the festival, the original location of SSB will have Swing Soliel on Friday and Joe West on Saturday. SSB will also be hosting their beer dinner on Saturday.

Every Wednesday night, both SSB locations host Game Night. SSB has game boards and dominoes or bring your own … oh yeah, they also have discounted pitchers!

Beers: Blonde, Pale, IPA, Red, Brown, Double IPA, Imperial Stout. While the brewery is being built in the back of the Steer, all of their house beers are being brewed off-site, but still using brewer Kirk Roberts’ recipes. The DIPA and the Stout are limited to two per customer, due to their high alcohol content (10% and 9.5% ABV, respectively). The Crew has already made two separate visits to the Steer to review the beer and food. We enjoyed it all.

Beers: Dirty Brown, Mosaic Lollipop, Mogul IPA, Simple Porter. TAH also has a few guest beers on tap as well.

News: Taos Ale House recently partnered with The Burger Stand out of Lawrence and Topeka, Kan., to bring you the best burgers and fries you’ll ever eat. The Burger Stand is now open and is already booming with business.

Beers at Wells Park only: Scotch Ale (7.5% ABV), L4 IPL (6.5% ABV), Berry Cider (7.5% ABV), Apple Cider, Maibock Lager (5.8% ABV), Sticky Fingers Brown Ale (7.6% ABV), Adebisi Black Lager (5.2% ABV), Dopplebock (8.0% ABV), Tupac Cali Red Ale. All of the Nob Hill seasonals are also at Wells Park, which has 24 total taps (Tractor’s five regular beers have two taps apiece). Tractor’s Scotch Ale is “Fermented with Edinburgh Scotch Ale Yeast and brewed with a hundred pounds of smoked malt, big flavors from smoke and caramel malts make this a pleasure for the palate. A rich burgundy color and subtle flavors of bacon, caramel and smoke are all balanced by slightly earthy and hoppy characteristics.” The Crew highly recommends the Luna De Los Muertos, it’s one of our favorite imperial stouts in town. It’s not barrel-aged, but it still packs a punch.

Events: On Wednesday, Tractor will be hosting another Cards Against Humanity night at Wells Park. This is a free event starting at 7 p.m. Food will by served by Nomad’s BBQ.

Tractor is again participating in the Pint for Pint blood drive competition. This event will last from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Wells Park.

On Sunday, I’ll Drink to That returns to Wells Park on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. Come on down for art, music, comedy, and more. Nomad’s BBQ will provide the food.

Geeks Who Drink is now setting up shop at the Wells Park Tap Room every Monday at 8 p.m. Bar cash for winners and bonus questions all night. Wanna see what GWD at Tractor has been up to? Check out the blog! Food will be served by Europa Roaming Kitchen.

News: The Oku Amber and Hopshell IPA are the first of TMBC’s new house beers to come online. They are dialing in efficiency so alcohol and IBUs may drift around a little, but Oku and Hopshell will always be on tap from now on.

Beers: Wellhead Pale Ale (5.3% ABV), Roughneck Red Ale (4.8% ABV), Roustabout Porter (4.8% ABV), Cisco Canyon Blonde, Indian Basin Wheat. The Wellhead is located in Artesia. The Roustabout Porter is available in the summer months replacing the stout. The brown-colored porter was originally developed in the 18th Century for the working class or ‘porters’ of London. The malt and hop ingredients are simple and well-balanced. The Roughneck Red is as sweet malty Irish Red ale. The Chinook, Cascade, and Mount Hood hops create a wonderful aroma and flavor combination. Try this microbrew with spicy dishes or steak and the turtle cheesecake dessert.

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That’s all for this week! If you have any questions or comments, leave them below or contact us on our Facebook page.